Predicting clearance of colonization with vancomycin-resistant Enterococci and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus by use of weekly surveillance cultures

J Clin Microbiol. 2009 Apr;47(4):1229-30. doi: 10.1128/JCM.02424-08. Epub 2009 Feb 25.

Abstract

We analyzed surveillance cultures for vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) collected during a multicenter trial to determine if three negative cultures collected at weekly intervals would predict clearance of VRE or MRSA from colonized patients. Seventy-two percent of VRE-colonized patients and 94% of MRSA-colonized patients were culture negative after three consecutive negative cultures.

Publication types

  • Multicenter Study
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Carrier State / microbiology*
  • Enterococcus / drug effects
  • Enterococcus / isolation & purification*
  • Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections / microbiology*
  • Humans
  • Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / isolation & purification*
  • Predictive Value of Tests
  • Vancomycin Resistance*